Author Archives: Dana Batho

For many stitchers, they are happily stitching along and then all of a sudden, they run into a weird symbol on their chart, like the stitches have gotten squashed vertically or horizontally. After running to grab their reading glasses, they … Read More

If you’ve ever loved the look of goldwork but didn’t know where to start, then you’ll love learning about Japan Threads and how they’re used in cross stitch and embroidery. Learn what they are, how to use them, and how … Read More

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re defective because you can’t quite figure out why your stitches keep popping out or sliding when you try and stitch over one on linen and evenweave, don’t fear grasshopper. This tutorial will show you … Read More

It can be so tricky when you first start stitching — there are so many options for materials and supplies, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not know what might work best for you. Of course, any stitcher would tell … Read More

I’m sure if you’ve been around any cross stitch community for a while, you would have heard the terms “over one” and “over two.” In case you have no clue what these mean (or you’re not sure when you should … Read More

You’ve likely seen the rise in sarcastic and sweary memes, t-shirts, mugs, and even stitching patterns in the past few years. Although many disagree with swearing for personal or religious reasons, there is an upsurgence in people feeling freer to … Read More

I love helping people learn to stitch, it’s such a relaxing hobby, and playing with lots of gorgeous embroidery floss colours and fabrics is just so much fun. Recently I’ve had a lot of people asking how to complete a … Read More

Are you someone who adores Valentine’s Day? The chocolates, the pink fluffy hearts decorating all the shops, do they make you swoon and look forward to showering your loved ones with affection and special surprises? Or are you someone who’s … Read More

Happy New Year! 2019 is going to be amazing, and to kick it off I’m happy to announce that Issue 6 (the “Mix Tape Vol 1” issue) of XStitch Magazine is now available! One of my cross stitch designs is … Read More

If you’ve heard all about the new DMC Étoile embroidery threads but haven’t had a chance to pick some up yet, this quick review should give you a good idea whether they’ll be a yay or a nay for you. … Read More

If you’ve ever wondered when to use a stabilizer for cross stitch or embroidery projects, this tutorial will help you learn which of the myriad of options is best for your project. Sulky makes a wide range of stabilizers, and … Read More

One of the best things about being a stitcher is getting to experiment with so many amazing threads, fabrics, and tools. This tutorial is demonstrating some of Sulky’s threads, particularly those that are great for cross stitch and embroidery. In … Read More

Sometimes when you write delicate text onto your fabric from an embroidery pattern, your lines may look “wobbly”, especially if the letters are quite small and delicate (like a single line of backstitch). So, to ensure your text stitches up … Read More

For some embroidery or cross stitch patterns, it’s normal to want to change some colours (say of a girl’s hair, or a dress, etc). Changing colours is not as simple as it can seem at first, so below is a … Read More

The leaf stitch is such a pretty hand embroidery stitch, it can be used in all sorts of ways. Similar to the fishbone stitch, the leaf stitch is a great textural stitch (which is obviously perfect for leaves). It looks … Read More